Re: The Widow Lewis At It Again

["Dan Forant" <dforant1@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Snoopy the Celtics Beagle" <snoopy@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <celtics@xxxxxxxx>
Sent: Friday, September 12, 2003 2:45 PM
Subject: Re: The Widow Lewis At It Again


> At 02:10 PM 9/12/03 -0400, Dan Forant wrote:
>
> >----- Original Message -----
> >From: "Snoopy the Celtics Beagle" <snoopy@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> >To: <celtics@xxxxxxxx>
> >Sent: Friday, September 12, 2003 1:35 PM
> >Subject: Re: The Widow Lewis At It Again
> >
> >
> > > At 12:31 PM 9/12/03 -0400, Kim Malo wrote:
> > >
> > > >At 09:21 AM 9/12/2003 -0400, Way Of The Ray wrote:
> > > >>  Just give it up lady. Be happy you got a huge insurance payoff.
> > > >>Other people who loose their loved ones aren't so lucky
> > > >
> > > >I don't often wholeheartedly agree with Ray, but he's dead on here.
While
> > > >all these serial lawsuits have done is the opposite of what she
claims
> > > >she's trying to do, which is to restore Reggie's reputation. Talk of
> >drugs
> > > >was little but a murmur, with people concentrating more on the
tragedy
> > > >until she started this. Although back to the drugs - FWIW, I've
always
> > > >wondered if any of Reggie's problems go back to damage done in utero
from
> > > >his addicted mother, especially with his brother also having heart
> > > >problems. Anyway, while one lawsuit was probably inevitable and seen
as
> > > >such, this refusal to let it go does no own any good.
> > > >
> > > >Donna isn't stupid, even as she continues to act stupid about this. I
> > > >don't think it's just about money. All I can figure is that she's
trying
> > > >desparately to get official  endorsement that it's all someone else's
> > > >fault and her own role in Reggie's care had nothing to do with his
death.
> > > >Whether just for herself or to prove something to her kids and/or
> >Reggie's
> > > >family, with whom she never got along. She's never going to get that
> >though.
> > > >Kim
> > >
> > > In addition to the drug question is the fact that when he initially
> > > collapsed, the doctors at the hospital told him the problem was
> > > serious.  The Celtics' team doctor said it was serious.  But Reggie
kept
> > > shopping for second opinions until he found one he agreed with.  Then,
he
> > > kept relevant medical information to himself.
> > >
> > > Frankly, I'm amazed the insurance policy even paid at all given his
> >obvious
> > > refusal to treat his condition seriously.  Various doctors, including
> > > Mudge, tried to minimize the question of drug use--mostly, I think,
for
> >the
> > > sake of Reggie's kids--but they couldn't very well ignore it.  Donna
made
> >a
> > > big deal of it.  She kept pushing and if there's a public perception
of
> > > Reggie Lewis as a drug user, it's because of her.
> > >
> > > I keep trying to give her the benefit of the doubt.  Maybe she just
lost
> >it
> > > when he died. It does happen.  But at this point, I'm impressed at the
> > > restraint shown by Dr. Mudge in not filing charges of his own against
> >Donna
> > > for harassment.  His rep is ruined by the repeated trips to court.
I'm
> > > sure his legal fees are impressive after ten years of this.
> > >
> > > About the only positive in all this is that Reggie isn't around to see
> >this
> > > idiocy take place in his name.
> >
> >Uumm, isn't Reggie the idiot in all this????
> >
> >DanF
>
>
> AN idiot, yes.  But not the only one.  Sometimes I have a tendency to
> sidestep the facts that indicate that Lewis' drug abuse almost certainly
> helped kill him.  It's hard enough realizing Len Bias died because he was
> an idiot, and sometimes I suppose I want to rationalize that there
couldn't
> be two people that unutterably stupid on the same team.
>
> In other respects, I'm sure both Bias and Lewis were reasonably
intelligent
> people.  But when it came to drugs, and thinking of the possibilities of
> guessing wrong--i.e. the "it won't happen to ME" syndrome--they were both
> idiotic.  Their lives were ended, their potential wasted and their
> families, friends and teammates bereft of them.  And it didn't have to
happen.
>
> Yep, sounds like idiocy to me.
>
> Snoopy the Celtics Beagle
> Please visit the <http://www.celticsbeagle.net/>Celtics Beagle Website

One can only imagine the different path the Celts would have taken with
these 2 guys if things only went well. That's why I have some sympathy for
the Organization. They took Bird and company down to the wire, rendered them
useless and then Reggie and Bias follow suit. Only in Boston.........

DanF